Sewage smell around golf club has neighbours teeing off

RESIDENTS are kicking up a stink over a bad smell believed to be coming from a golf course sewage treatment plant.

A smell wafting from Townsville Golf Club has sparked complaints from residents in Hermit Park and Rosslea.

Earlier this year the smell was blamed on a broken aerator in the on- site sewage treatment plant, with the part sent away for repair.

But six months later the complaints have started again, with residents calling for relief from the stench, which they say is most common at night.

Townsville Golf Club general manager Mitch Bligh said the club had reviewed the sewage treatment plant and it was “in good working order and compliant”.

Carmody St resident Dave Burgemeister said the smell drifted into his house at night.

“No one wants to put up with a smell like that,” he said.

“I’m even trying burning scented candles to block it out. I’d take a bushfire smell over this. People shouldn’t have to deal with this crap.”

Another resident, Karen Ness, said during still conditions, the smell seemed worse.

“You don’t want to go outside,” she said. “When there’s a breeze it’s not so bad.”

Queens Rd resident Rhonda Lobwein said the smell was so bad on Sunday night that she felt sick.

“It’s a health issue,” she said. “It’s a sewage smell but there’s some chemicals in there as well.

“I don’t know why it’s become so thick and intense.”

A Department of Environment and Heritage Protection spokesman said they were aware of the issue and had been working with Townsville Golf Club.

“The golf club is the holder of an environmental authority ( EA) regulated by EHP that licenses the operation of sewage treatment infrastructure at the club,” he said.

“On a number b of f past t occasions, EHP has received information from people living in the area around the golf club regarding nuisance odour.

“The department has inspected the site on numerous occasions in response to this information to assess compliance with the EA requirements and provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1994.”

The spokesman said the department had asked the golf club to ensure all conditions in its environmental authority were w met, “in particular any conditions that might lead to an odour nuisance”.

“EHP will continue to respond to information provided by the community and will closely monitor the sewage treatment operation to ensure that the Townsville Golf Club meets its environmental obligations,” he said.

“Further enforcement actions will be taken if this does not occur.”

Townsville Water and Waste general manager Scott Moorhead said Townsville City Council had previously received complaints about the smell from the golf club’s wastewater treatment plant and was working with its management to reduce the impact on nearby residents.

“The wastewater treatment plant is not a council facility but we are working closely with the Townsville Golf Club and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to find a long- term solution,” Mr Moorhead said.